What to do if your car breaks down

Whatever car you drive, there’s always a chance it could break down when you least expect it. Make sure you’re prepared and you know what to do in an emergency.

If you’ve got breakdown cover you can rest assured that if the unexpected happens, help will be on its way.

But before you call for assistance, it’s important to make sure you get off the road safely.

Once you’re off the road, don’t try to fix your car yourself unless you’re a trained mechanic.

If you’re not sure what you’re doing, you could make the problem worse so it’s always best to wait for professional help.

If you’re on a motorway

Stopping on a motorway is a lot harder than on other roads because of the speed of the traffic around you.

That’s why hard shoulders were introduced in the far left hand lane of most motorways to give people a safe place to pull over if they need to.

If you break down on the motorway, pull over as far as you can into the hard shoulder and:

• turn on your hazard warning lights
• when you get out of the car make sure any children travelling with you get out too and that you exit from the left-hand door. If you’re travelling with animals you should leave them in the car to prevent them escaping and running out onto the motorway.
• call Privilege on 0800 028 5904 from your mobile phone or an emergency telephone which are approximately one mile apart and marked every hundred metres. This number will also be displayed on your breakdown certificate – it’s a good idea to keep this in the car at all times in case you need it.
• wait for assistance to arrive. When you wait outside of the car, wait on the verge to keep away from the oncoming traffic.

It’s important not to try and cross the motorway for any reason. If there’s a freephone on the other side of the carriageway, try to find one on your side.

On other roads

Breaking down on quieter roads in towns and cities can be easier as there are more opportunities to pull off the road.

If you break down, follow these instructions to make sure you get the help you need:

• turn on your hazard warning lights
• pull over to the side of the road or if you’re on a main road try and pull into a quieter side road
• if you have a warning triangle, put it at least 50 metres behind the car – this will warn any oncoming traffic that your car is broken down
• call Privilege on 0800 028 5904 from your mobile phone or a nearby phone box. If you’re travelling with children make sure you don’t leave them in the car and take them with you if you need to walk to find a phone.
• wait for assistance to arrive

Privilege breakdown cover is underwritten by U K Insurance Limited and provided by Green Flag Motoring Assistance. Privilege and Green Flag are members of the same group.